Free energy per unit volume of an ideal gas

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the concept of free energy in relation to the internal energy of an ideal gas. The participant initially equates free energy with internal energy, calculating the average internal energy per unit volume as 3nkBT/2. There is a debate about whether free energy should be considered synonymous with kinetic energy, as it reflects the freedom of gas particles to move. The source of the questions is identified as the JNU Entrance Exam for M.Sc. Physics from 2013. To accurately determine free energy, it is suggested that the first law of thermodynamics and entropy must be applied.
Pushoam
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Homework Statement


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Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


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I am taking the free energy as the internal energy of the ideal gas.

Then the average internal energy per unit volume is ## \frac { 3 nk_B T } {2 } ##.

So, the correct option is (c).

Is this correct?
 

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Pushoam said:
I am taking the free energy as the internal energy of the ideal gas.
Why did you introduce this approximation?

Also could you let us know the source of these questions.
 
Useful nucleus said:
Why did you introduce this approximation?

Also could you let us know the source of these questions.

I didn't introduce it thinking that this is an approximation. I thought that free energy is another name for internal energy.
But, now I think that the free energy should be another name for kinetic energy as kinetic energy gives an idea of the particles's freedom to move.
For an ideal gas, the internal energy is defined as the average kinetic energy of the molecules.

I think here, free energy should be the kinetic energy of the whole macrscopic system i.e. gas and I was approximating this kinetic energy of the macroscopic system to the average kinetic energy of the constituent gas molecules unknowingly as this was the only thing which I could do.

The source of these questions is the JNU ( An Indian University) Entrance Exam 2013 for M.Sc.Physics.
 
Free energy F = U - TS
U = internal energy
S = entropy

You need to invoke the 1st law and the entropy, both of an ideal gas, to come up with the answer.
 
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